A closer look at the Hebrew Construct and free locative PPs: The analysis of mi-locatives
Irena Botwinik-Rotem · Typological studies in language · 2008
Most Hebrew locative P(reposition)s are directly followed by their complement. However, the complement of Hebrew locatives prefixed by mi , referred to here as mi‑ locatives (e.g. mixuc “outside”) often, but not always, is introduced by the light P le . Taking direct complementation to be an instance of a prepositional Construct State, with the occurrence of le indicating its free counterpart, the paper defines the roles of the prefix mi in the formation of mi- locatives, and accounts for the distribution of le with them. Furthermore, based on the unique ability of mi‑ locatives to license implied complements, and assuming that locative phrases are instantiated in a nominal (extended) projection headed by the null noun Place, the prefix mi is argued to be a D(eterminer)-prefix, realizing the formal feature of this head in the (extended) projection of (Hebrew) locative PPs.